Placer type units for the recovery of mineral values



July 12, 1960 J, STEPHAN 2,944,668

PLACER TYPE UNITS FOR THE RECOVERY 0F MINERAL VALUES Filed April 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 kill!! July 12, 1960 J. STEPHAN 2,944,668

. PLACER TYPE UNITS FOR THE RECOVERY OF' MINERAL VALUES Filed April 6, 1959 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Pltff attesa Patented Y July 12, 1960.

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PLACER TYPE UNITS FOR THE RECOVERY OF y MINERAL VALUES Y Y Joseph Stephan, 309 W. Wilshire Drive, Craig, (2010,rk

Filed Apr. 6,1959, Ser. N0.' 804,531

12 adjacent its discharge extremity and a lower rocker lshaft 14 is similarly extended through the supporting frame10. A The rocker shafts 13 and 14 are connected together at their extremities by means of vertically positioned rocking links 15 which movably support the dis-v v f charge extremity of the oscillating frame 12 above and 8 Claims. (Cl. 209-443)- This invention relates to a placed type recovery-unit forthe recovery of mineral values from hydraulic solu tions of mineralized ore or sand.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a recovery unit which will simulate the. actionvof a handoperated gold pan and which will greatly increase both the efficiency of recovery and the Acapacity per u nit of Y width over present devices of this type, such as sluice boxes, concentrating tables, and the like.V

Another object of the invention is ,to provide a fle construction for hydraulic mineral recovery devices which will provide accumulationpockets throughout the 2j length of each rife to increasethe retention'capacityY of the riile and to provide means for creating swirls and` eddies in the water flowing-over theridleso as to obtain a maximum deposit of the Vmineral values combined with a rapid elimination ofV rock, gangue, and other",

in spaced Vrelationto lthe supporting frame 10.

VThe feed extremity of the oscillating frame 12. is su ported from an eccentric shaft 16 which is rotatably mounted in stationary bearings 17 supported from the supportingframe 10. Theterminal portions of the eccentric shaft 1-6 are eccentric of the medial portion there-A of. The 1 medial portion is mounted in the stationary bearings V17 and the feed extremity of the oscillating frame 12 is supported from the eccentric terminal portions by means-of suitable, oscillating bearings 18. A suitable drive pulley 20 is secured on the eccentric shaft 16 whereby'it may be rotated from any suitable source of power.

It can be. seen that, if the shaft 16 be rotated, the oscillating frame 12 will simultaneously vibrate both longitudinally and vertically. Ihe vertical vibration will i be more pronounced adjacent the feed extremity, due to .thefproximityof the Veccentric shaftf1i6, than adjacent the swinging links 1`5.f` VA'pair of springs 4T- are compressed between spring brackets 48' on` the supporting fr ame10`and the oscillating frame v1 2 to constantly urge Ythelatter apart-and to act as counterbalances to absorb aportion 'of the weight of the superstructureso as to increase 'theease and speed of lift of the' eccentric shaft.

vA rectangularpanframe 21 subst antially corresponding in contour' to fthe oscillatingframe 12 is mounted labove the latter upon a suitable transverse hinge'zz mounted between theJ discharge extremities of the two frames. The feed extremity of the. pan frame 21 is adjustably supported upon two rack bars 2 3 pivotally 'mounted as'shown at 24, at their upper extremities upon opposite sides of the panframe 21. The rack bars 23 extend downwardly upon opposite sides of the oscillatingzframe 12 and intermesh with the teeth of pinions 25 In the followingfdetailed description of atheinvention, v

reference is had toV` the accompanying' drawing. Vwhich forms a part hereof. Likenumerals refer-toi like.; parts in 'all-views ofthe drawing andthroughout-thedescrip-v l sition the pan frame' 211 at any desired incline longitu- In-the drawing:

Y Fig 1 is ai planview of` theV improved mineral recovery Vunit showing a'swirl gri1l,`w ith which'theunit is provided, partiallybroken away to reveal the `dille-'construction of the unit; 'Y Y '-"f Fig. 2 'is aside view ofthe `upper or `operating portion Yof the limproved unit;v Y

mountedon the extremities of apinion shaft 26 rotatably'mounted in and extending transversally of the oscillating'lframe12. A hand wheel21 is mounted on the pinion shaft b'yrneans of Which it can be rotated to Vcause the rack bars=23 tofmove upwardly or downwardly tov pod inally. The pan framecan be locked at any desired nigga is an enavig'w er @separating portion leaking "toward Ythe feedvvv extremity of the Yu'nit. Fig. 4 isa vertical cross' section, takenjon 4 4, Figa; `Y "Y Y' f Fig-5 isa fragmentary: enlarged plan view of Ya por- `the line tion ofa riffle pan employed Vin thedevice withthe Swirl grillfin placeithereon;

Fig. 6 is a cross secti n through Von theline 545, Fig.' 5'; and F ig 7 is a stillfurther enlarged fragmentary, longitudinal section throu'ghithefbottom of the discharge extremity of the riflle 'pantakenfonfthe line '7 -,7," Fig. 1.

The unit is supported upon a suitable horizontal,`rectangular supporting frame 10which in turn maybe sup- 'ported in any desired mfanner such as lby suitable supporting ylegs 11 An oscillating fratne'l,l correspond- ".ing substantially nshape'nd size to the supporting frame 10, is"positioried overthe latter.; Y. upper'rooler Ashaft 13 is 'extnded'transve'rsally through the oscillating frame the rile pan, taken incline by` means of 'a suitable ratchet dog 28 mounted 'on a dog shaft 29 extending transversally of the oscillating frame 12 and provided with a suitable release handle 30'. Y

The pan frame 21 supports an elongated, rectangular rife pan'31 relatively-high, having substantially vertical side walls'19 extending along its two sides and across its feed extremity. The discharge extremity of the riffle pan overhangs the pan frame 21. The rile pan 31 Y-is hinged to one side of the pan frame 21 upon suitable longitudinally-extendingV hinges 32 so that the near side of the pan may be raised about the axis of the hinges 32 to tiltYthematerial in the panto the far side thereof. The pan may be tilted in any desired manner. As illustrated, it is tilted by means of aV second rack lbar 33 suspended from the bottom of the riffle pan and engaging a pinion 34 on a pinion shaft 35 mounted in and extending longitudinally of the pan frame 21. The pinion shaft can be rotatedy to tilt the rile pan by` means of a hand wheel 36 mounted thereon. Y Y

- A relatively low overflow ange or tail board 37 extends across the discharge extremity of Ythe riie pan over which .the valueless sand Yandgangue overflows. A clean 'outYnipple-SS extends downwardly from the 3, overhanging extremity of the pan adjacent the hinged side thereof. The clean out nipple 3S is normally closed by means of a suitable removable cap 39.

A plurality of upstanding strips or riftles 40 extend transversaily of the riilie pan in spaced-apart' relation to provide a plurality ofv collection channels 41 intermediate the riiiies throughout the length of the pan. It is desired to call attention to the specific shape of the riies 40. They have what will be herein termed' a' zigzag shape, that is, each rile inclines first toward the` discharge end of the riflle pan, thence toward the feed, etc., throughout their lengths. Since Vall of the riflles are similar in size and shape, this provides a zig-zag contour to the collection channels 41 so as to provide Va plurality of V-shaped pockets directed toward the discharge end, as indicated at A, and a plurality of inverted V-shaped channel points, as indicated at B, directed toward the feed end of the pan.

The ritlies 4t? terminate in spaced relation to the feed end of the pan to provide a non-riled feed receiving area or box d3, at the feed extremity of the pan, the two sides of which are braced from each other by means of a suitable cross brace tube 49'. The ril-lies 40 may be formed from individual, separated, Zig-zag members secured to the bottom of the ritlie pan in any desiredv manner or they may be indented upwardly in the bottom of the pan. The riies extend in contact withy the near side wall 19 of the pan and terminate in spaced relationto the far side wall of the pan adjacent the hinges 32 to leave a longitudinally-extending channel 42 along the latter wall communicating with-all of the collection channels 41.

It can be seen that if ahydraulic suspension of solids, such as gold bearing sands, crushed ore, or the like, be fed into the feed box 43, it will flow downwardly over all of the riflies 40 and discharge over the tail board 37. The heavier, value-bearing portions of the solids will settle by gravity into the collection channels 41 between the riflies 40. Due to the zig-zag shape of the riflies 40, a double flow is provided in each channel 41. First, there is the swirling flow caused by the longitudinal movement of the Water transversally across the channel and second, there is a flow lengthwise of the channel from the apex points B to the V-shaped pockets A which effect an ecient accumulation of values in the pockets A. A complete planning effectV is produced in the channels by the combined differential, longitudinal and tilting vibration of the pan which causes the gangue and waste material to rapidly overflow the riifles while the metal bearing particles are er1/trapped and slowly gravitated and collected in the V-shaped pockets A. The uplift of the pan is increased by the action of the springs 47 so as to increase the settling effect of the values.

A maximum recovery of mineralized particles from a hydraulic suspension is at times diicult due to the fact that occasionally the metallic particles are so fine and iiake-like that they are carried along more readily than some of the larger valueless particles. Also particles having small areas of adhering metal will have but slight difference in specific gravity from a particle having no metallic adherence so as to make gravitational separation diflicult. With this invention, however, an oscillating vibration of very slight magnitude and great rapidity is provided at the `feed extremity of the pan which causes a rapid settling of the heavier particles. The vertical impulse of the oscillating vibration grad'- ually diminishes as the discharge extremity is approached so that particles of slight gravity differences will eventually reach a point where the heavier particles will be entrapped and collected. The latter collection can be controlled for a very accurate control of the longitudinal incline of the riiile pan and the resulting speed of How can be had by adjusting the hand wheel 2-7 to adjust the incline of the pan to the particular type of sand or ore being treated. For instance, if it is found that values are going over the tail board 37, the incline can be lessened until maximum values are retained without unduly interfering with the capacity of the device.

As above described, the device is exceedingly valuable in recovering free gold and other metallic values from hydraulically flowing sand and ore and has also been found valuable in the' recovery of the radio-active values from monozite ores. However, it has been found that the eiciency andthe capacity can be still further increased more especially on diiiicult flaked and entrapped values by placing a grill of specic design over and in spaced-relation tothe riies. The grill, as illustrated, comprises. a first side Iframe bar 44 which ts into and fills the' longitudinal channel 42 lalong the far wall of the riflie pan and a second side frame bar 45 which overlies the riies adjacent the near side wall of the riflle pan. A plurality of zig-zag grill bars 46 are Welded to the topv of the first frame bar and to the side of the' second frame bar 45 in spaced-apart relation. The contour or zig-Zags of the grill bars are exactly opposite to the 'zig-zags of the riiiles 40 so as to create eddy currents in' theoverowing suspension as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5. The points on the zig-zaga of the grill bars, indicated at C are positioned forwardly of the channel pockets A so as to interfere with and divert the intensity of the flow away from the pockets to prevent'washing of values therefrom and to create a longitudinal flowgin the channels 4o to increase the efficiency of recovery.4 v Y Infa highly successful operatingunit, the ries 4i) are 1%"Wide, have anelevation of 1A above the bottom of-the rile pan, the angle of the zig-zaga from a -straight transverse line is 6, and the eccentric shaft has an eccentricity or throw of lAG. The grill bars 46 are W16 square and are positioned 1/s above the top of the tiles 40'. Inany eventi, the dimensions and proportions and the incline-of the pan should be such as to obtain` a sufficient. current lengthwise of the riflie channels to agitate and eliminate the major portion of the valueless blackv sands having a specific gravity of fromt'v to 4.5' while retainingy the black sand particles having attached metallic values and having a specific gravity in excess of 6 S.G.

It would have been troublesome to use zig-zag riles in prior machines since it would be diicult and time consuming. to ,remove the kaccumulated values from the V- shapedvpockets. fA-f With the present invention, however, theA clean up presents no problem. At cleanup time, the grill is simply lifted from place; the hand wheel 36 is 4rotated to tilt-the rillepantoward the'hinged side; and; the values' are washed by means of a water hose from the riie channels 41 into the longitudinal channel 42 and from thence into the nipple 38 for quick recovery.

It has been noted that the grill bars provide a preliminary separation of the pure waste material. TheV latter flows completely and entirely kabove the grill bars so as not to interfere with the ner classifications of the heavier particles in the undercurrents below the grill bars. The tail board 37 holds back the water at the discharge extremityl to form a semi-quiescent pool for the inal settling.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same maybe varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Y

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

I. A placer type mineral recovery unit comprising: an elongated longitudinally-inclined pan arranged to allow a hydraulic suspension to be fed into its higher Yfeed extremity to overflow its lower discharge extremity: a plurality of riflies extending in a common plane transversallyof andv on the bottom of said pan, andbeing spaced apart to form' transversallylextending collection channels between `adjacent rifes, each of said riles being longitudinally zig-zag in shape so that said collection channels will have longitudinally-aligned Ypointed portions directed toward the higher extremity of said pan and alternating pocket portions directed toward the lower extremity of said pan, said riiiies being in contact with said bottom throughout their lengths to prevent transverse flow be-- neath said riles throughout their lengths; grill bars extending transversally of said pan; `and means supporting said grill bars in a plane parallel to the common plane of said riiies and in vertically-spaced relation thereto to allow hydraulic currents to ow between the plane of said bars and the plane of said riles, said grill bars having a zig-zag contour throughout their lengths so that portions of said grill bars directed toward said feed extremity will alternate with portions directed toward saiddischarge extremity all of said portions lying in a common plane.

of said pan to allow material to flow from said collection channels to the lower extremity of said pan, therebeing a discharge for said materials at said lower extremity.v

5. A placer type mineral recovery unit comprising: an elongated, horizontal, substantially rectangular xed frame having a discharge and a feed extremity; swinging links mounted on and extending upwardly from the discharge extremity of said fixed frame; an eccentricV shaft rotatably mounted on said fixed frame adjacent its Ifeed extremity; an oscillating frame substantially similar to said xed frame supported at its discharge extremity by vsaid swinging links and -at its feed extremity by said ec- 2. A placer type mineral recovery unit as described in i claim 1 in which the portions of the zig-zag grill bars directed toward the feed `extremity ofthe pan are positioned in longitudinal alignment with the pocket portions of the collection channels.

3. A placer type mineral recovery unit comprising: an

longitudinally zig-Zag in shape so that said collection channels will have longitudinally-'aligned pointed Vportions directed toward the higher extremity of s aid pan and alternating pocket portions directed toward the lower ex tremity of said pang'tan inclined pan `frame supporting said pan; 'an oscillating frame positioned below said .pan frame; hinge means connecting the lower extremity of said pan frame to said oscillating frame; vertically adjustable means supporting the -higher extremity of said pan frame Ifrom said oscillating frame; means for oscillating said oscillating frame; and hinge means securing one side of said pan to one side of said pan zframe so that said pan can be tilted sidewardly for clean up purposes.

4. A placer type mineral recovery unit as described in claim 3 having a longitudinally-extending channel connecting said collection channels ladjacent the hinged side centric shaft so that rotation of the latter will impart an oscillating movement to said oscillating frame; a pan 4frame substantially similar to said oscillating frame positioned above the latter; hinge means connecting the discharge extremity of said pan frame to the discharge extremity of said oscillating frame; vertically adjustable supporting means supporting the other extremity of said pan frame from said oscillating frame; and a riffled pan Y supported by said pan frame; hinge means connecting one side of said pan with one side of said pan frame V.so that said pan is tiltable side ways for clean up purposes.

6. A placer type mineral recovery unit as described in claim 5 in which ythe riies extend across the pan in spaced relation on similar zig-zag paths to dene"zig zag channels therebetween, therebeing a longitudinallyextending channel connecting all of said channels adia 'I 'l cent the hinged side kof said4 pan.

l7. A placer type mineral recoveryl unit as described Y in claim 6 having'a side grill strip extending along and within each side of said pan zand grill bars extending bey tween said strips in vertical-spacedv relation to said rifes.

18. A placer type mineral recoveryunit as described in claim 7 in which the lgrill bars have a zig-zag conformation in opposite relation to the zig-zag conformation of said riies. s

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,496,025 Stephan Ian. 31, 1950 

